


Always Together

by splinterfranxx



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Cloti Fall Festival 2020, Crisis Core Era (Compilation of FFVII), Dorks in Love, F/M, Fenrir - Freeform, I love them ok, Ily Final Heaven, Mutual Pining, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Post-Tifa's Resolution, Smooching, Tifa sees Cloud in CC AU, cloti week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27569131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/splinterfranxx/pseuds/splinterfranxx
Summary: Compilation of my Cloti Week 2020 Entries.Chapter 1 - Tender Feelings/ResilienceChapter 2 - Warmth/Tradition + Quiet Night/Changing SeasonsChapter 3 - Stargazing/Tanabata, Reunion/Stardust, + Homecoming/New Life
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 6
Kudos: 62
Collections: CloTi Fall Festival 2020 (ClotiWeek)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first Cloti fic!
> 
> After falling in love with them about a month or two ago, I knew I had to write them, and the Fall Festival kind of fell into my lap. I'm enjoying streaming FF7R immensely and will be sad when the ride is over :(
> 
> Special thanks to 04JETTA and mayelisa from the Cloti Writers Server for beta-ing and all of Final Heaven for being so supportive of my content creation!
> 
> This is for the Cloti Fall Festival Day 1: Tender Feelings/Resilience!

Everything was gone. They’d lost everything.

The night he found her, pale skin illuminated by the light in the garden and accentuated by the yellow flowers at her feet, a frown of deep contemplation marred her features, telling of unspeakable loss.

“It’s all dead and buried,” Tifa had uttered, fists clenching, trying to suppress her rapidly bubbling emotions. “Like the bar, our home, and everything else.”

She was right, of course, as much as Cloud absolutely hated the prospect. Nibelheim was a smoking pile of ash, smoldering with memories of the past. Sector 7, and Seventh Heaven by proxy, were crushed by the consequences of AVALANCHE’s rebellion.

“They took everything from us. Again.” Tifa had murmured, eyes welling up with tears.

He hated it when she cried. He positively ached. While his SOLDIER persona commanded him to stay still, to keep his emotions at bay, an unknown, much louder part of himself screamed, pleaded, petitioned for him to hold her close and never, ever let her go.

Which is what Cloud did, wrapping his arms around Tifa tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder, all the pent up anger, sadness, and regret spilling out of her carmine eyes. 

“Cloud...Cloud, you’re hurting me.” she had whispered into his shirt, voice holding no ire towards him. He had squeezed her too tightly, too eager to have her in his arms.

He prayed to the stars above, under the same sky that he had promised to protect her all those years ago, that he could hold her like that forevermore.

And perhaps it was that hope that led him to find himself outside her room, only an hour later, yearning to see her.

Rap. Rap. Rap. Silence.

‘This was stupid. I shouldn’t bother her.” Cloud thought to himself.

“I thought you told me expressing emotion wasn’t stupid.” Tifa answered, opening the door with a hushed creak. Barret snored his approval that the door had not woken him from his slumber, still at the foot of Marlene’s bed.

Crap. He had said that out loud. “Can I come in, Tifa?”

“Of course, Cloud.” Tifa welcomed him with a smile as he walked into the room. The covers were pulled back, he noted, indicating she had been trying to get some more sleep.

“Did I wake you up Tifa? I’m sorry.” 

“No, I wasn’t asleep yet. In fact, I had just gotten up to take off my suspenders when you knocked. They were getting a little irritating.” She laughed quietly, the sound heavenly to Cloud’s ears.

“I’m glad.”

“So, what brings you here?”

“I…” What exactly had brought him here? He couldn’t even remember. All he knew was that he needed to see her again. “...I’m here to check on you. Wanted to make sure you were feeling better.” 

“Thank you Cloud. I’m not going to say I’m feeling good - I mean, how can you feel good when your home had a plate dropped on it? But, I’m definitely feeling better after our talk.” Despite the sadness present in her crimson orbs, genuine affection outweighed it tenfold.

“I’m glad.” He paused, realizing how she could’ve interpreted his words. “Not about the plate dropping, I mean. About you feeling better.” Cloud stumbled over his words, wondering why basic communication was suddenly a challenge.

“Don’t worry Cloud, I knew what you meant. We’ll make those assholes pay though, I swear it.” Tifa’s eyes hardened with resolve.

Cloud paused, wanting so badly to pledge his allegiance to her, to follow her into battle wherever she needed him. The words died on his tongue, however, as he knew he would always be the ex-SOLDIER -- the merc -- never more than hired help for AVALANCHE. He would never stand next to her as more than a temporary teammate, and that thought pained him to his very core. There was no title for his loyalty to her, rather than the cause, that ever put them on equal footing, and their equal partnership was something he treasured about their relationship.

Which begged the question: what were they to each other?

“They symbolize reunion, believe it or not.” She had said, referring to the flower he had given her on a whim. How could he not, with her radiance welcoming him back home, back to her?

His eyes widened as an epiphany struck him. Unbeknownst to him, Tifa’s did too.

“Cloud-”

“Tifa-”

“Uh, you first.” Tifa conceded shyly.

“I was just thinking about Aerith’s flower. It almost seems like...fate, or something, that it meant reunion. You know, since we just reconnected after five years.”

Now it was Tifa’s turn to fall silent, her red eyes locked on his mako-enhanced blues. The air in her room felt heavy as Cloud tried to process his emotions.

“We’ve lost Nibelheim, our childhood home. And now we’ve lost Sector 7, where we met again. But maybe-” Cloud trailed off, at war with himself. Inside he could feel something powerful bubbling to the surface, straining to express itself.

‘Tifa!’ The voice cried, trying to swim to the surface that was the ocean of his memories.

“Maybe what Cloud?” Tifa outstretched a comforting hand to rub his bicep, trying to coax the words from him.

“-maybe home isn’t a place. Maybe home is wherever we’re together.” 

“Cloud-” Tifa’s happy sigh was cut short by Cloud grasping her hand and softly pressing his lips to hers. His other arm went to wrap around her, hugging her just like he did about an hour prior. He wasn’t sure what had compelled him to kiss her, but at the moment of their connection, it was like the raging ocean of his mind stilled for the first time. The knowledge that he was here, with Tifa, holding her like this, made his heart soar.

Softly cupping his cheek, Tifa smiled into the kiss, melting into him. It was fleeting, it was chaste, and it was everything she could’ve asked for and more. Tears pricked at her eyelids and Cloud wiped them away, rubbing comforting circles under her eyes as their lips connected yet again.

Shinra had taken everything from them. But, no matter what, they could never take away their home.

Because Cloud and Tifa’s home is wherever they’re together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 time!
> 
> This is for Cloti Fall Festival Day 2: Warmth (with some snippets of Tradition) combined with Day 4: Quiet Night.

7th Heaven was as dark inside as the sky outside, the moon and some street lamps the only source of illumination. Being as late as it was, the night was still and silent, Edge having long since turned in for the night. Or, it would’ve been, if not for the humming of Fenrir’s engine as Cloud approached the bar, finally returning home.

Parking the bike in its garage and wiping the sweat from his brow, Cloud shoulders visibly relaxed as the tension melted from his body. It had been a long day for deliveries -- longer than usual -- which involved quite a bit of time hunched over on top of his favorite bike. While he certainly wasn’t complaining about getting to drive Fenrir more, longer delivery days meant more time away from Tifa and the kids, which was always the worst part of his job.

Ever since he overcame his own fear; the one that demanded he leave his family to live in solitude, trying to cure a once incurable disease, Cloud had made a more conscious effort to be home earlier, leave later, and, overall, spend more time with the three most precious people in his life. Now, there was no reason for him to live in fear -- he and Denzel’s geostigma had been cured, after all.

Making his way upstairs through the darkness, mako-enhanced vision coming in handy, Cloud smiled as Tifa, and, by proxy, his bed, drew ever nearer. Soft snoring from Marlene and Denzel’s room indicated that the kids were sound asleep, and Cloud quickly deviated from his original goal in order to say his goodnights. Certainties in Cloud’s life were ever fleeting -- Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel making up the majority of them -- so he was always sure to hold them close and treasure every moment he had with them. His goodnight wishes to the kids were one of them, no matter how late his return.

They looked so peaceful asleep in their beds, and Cloud felt his heart swell at how content the pair looked in the home he built with Tifa. ‘Finally,’ he thought. ‘I’m home.’

Leaning down to ruffle both Marlene and Denzel’s hair, Marlene stirred slightly, nuzzling into Cloud’s hand. She murmured something that sounded like a greeting, and Cloud’s smile stretched even wider.

“Good night Marlene. Good night Denzel. Don’t let the moogles bite.” Cloud said softly, making his way to the door and closing it quietly.

A wave of exhaustion swept through Cloud’s body like a spell as soon as he crossed the threshold into the hallway. His mind refocused singularly on crawling into bed with Tifa and letting sleep overtake him, holding the one he loved. She was his home, the feel of his arms around her waist his security, and he suddenly felt incomplete without her immediate presence. 

‘Shower first, though.’ His brain reprimanded, reminding him of his day spent in the unrelenting sun. He’d prefer not to soil their slumber with his accumulated dust and grime.

The warm water reminded him of Tifa’s hugs, warm and enveloping, and he found himself longing for her doubly as much as before, if that was even possible. Increasing the pace of his washing, Cloud took one of his fastest showers yet, wanting nothing more than her presence at his side again.

He found her asleep, curled in around herself, facing the wall. Her pajamas were bunched around her legs, indicating she had taken a while to get comfortable. He frowned slightly, knowing she slept just as well as he did when they were apart (which was not well at all), and Cloud cursed the delivery that had kept him away from her.  
Sliding into bed next to her was like homecoming, two halves becoming one whole. Cloud wrapped his arms around Tifa’s waist, cuddling her close to him, and he heard her hum in response, eyes fluttering open.

“Cloud.” Tifa said, love shining in her eyes. “Welcome home.” Those two simple words, coupled with the notes of adoration in Tifa’s tone, threatened to cause Cloud’s heart to burst.

“Tifa.” Cloud answered, nuzzling into her neck. “I’m sorry to wake you up.”

“Don’t be. I’m just happy you’re back home.”

Encouraged by the presence of their other halves, the pair fell into a song of sleep, soft noises and snores harmonizing to create a beautiful melody. 

Though their lives often pull them apart, Cloud and Tifa always find their way back together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a bit of a delay, here's chapter 3! This one's a bit of a short one, but who knows? I might make it into a full-on AU in the future.
> 
> This was written for Cloti Week Day 3, 5, and 7: Stargazing, Reunion, and Homecoming!

2 long years. 730 days. 17,520 hours. 

Two years since Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart, young and in love, had met atop the Nibelheim water tower. Seven hundred and thirty days since Cloud had promised to protect her if she was ever in a bind, the stars their only witness.

Seventeen thousand, five hundred and twenty hours since Tifa had seen Cloud, gone the next morning with a solemn vow to become a SOLDIER.

It was a never-ending cycle of disappointment, Tifa realized, as she awoke early every morning to be the first to read the morning paper. _Sephiroth_ on the front cover, _Wutai_ in the headlines. Never Cloud. Not even a mention.

Tifa could feel the hope draining out of her as deep, dark parts of her brain considered the worst: _What if Cloud’s dead, Tifa? Killed in action, laying six feet underground somewhere?_ She couldn’t stop the tear that rolled down her cheek as she entertained that thought, even as she tried to shake those feelings away.

“Calm down, Tifa,” she uttered to herself, clapping herself lightly on the cheeks to bring herself back to reality. Checking her calendar, it displayed September 21st - one day before she was to accompany some SOLIDERs up Mt. Nibel to look at a broken reactor. 

“I really hope Cloud will be one of them,” Tifa asked the sun. The star did not answer.

__

“Why are you wearing the mask?” asked Zack, puzzled by his best friend’s seemingly odd choice.

“It’s...personal,” replied Cloud. Upon further inspection, the blonde haired boy seemed to be hiding behind his face covering, as if to make sure he was unrecognizable by anyone. Anyone but Zack, that is.

“Weirdo. So, are you going to see your folks? Sephiroth did say you have permission to run around town.”

“I’ll pass.”

“What? C’mon Cloud. I’m sure your parents will be thrilled to see you. Not to mention your friends - hey. That Tifa girl who’s guiding us looks about your age. Any _history_ I should know about?” Zack accompanied his words with a teasing smirk, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“It’s complicated. There’s-” Cloud paused, blushing, “-we’ve never had anything.

“So there _is_ something?”

“Zack, please drop it,” Cloud stated firmly. He really did not feel like continuing this discussion, lest he be embarrassed further.

“I’m sensing some issues. But, I’ll respect your wishes. So, are you nervous about-”

“Zack. I have a few more questions, if you’re free.” Tifa approached the two boys, still clad in her cowgirl guide attire. Cloud noted how beautiful she looked in it - the ensemble perfectly accentuated her curves.

 _‘Damn. Tifa looks...amazing. And it’s only been two years? Wow.’_ Cloud was smitten, his inner thoughts filled with nothing but the raven-haired girl in front of him.

“You’ve got more questions about SOLDIER? Sure, hit me.”

“You said that the SOLDIER First Classes are a small, elite group. I know you and Sephiroth are part of them. Who else is with you?” Tifa asked, hope shining in her crimson eyes.

“Are you looking for someone in particular? As I said though, no other SOLDIER First Classes will be joining us on this mission.”

“Yeah, I knew he wouldn’t be here. All I could hope is that you know him. He’s blonde, with deep blue eyes. He’s kind, honest, and he’d do anything to help a friend in need.” Tifa smiled as she described him, image in her mind kissed by starlight.

“Ah, I’m sorry Tifa. I don’t know any SOLDIER, First Class or not, that fits that description.” Zack said, genuinely sorry he couldn’t help the girl.

Tifa’s heart sank, face contorting into despair, even as she tried to keep up her facade of cheerfulness. _Where did he go? Where’s Cloud?_

 _‘This is my chance. I can help them.’_ Zack steeled himself to take a gamble. If it worked, he could reunite two lost lovers. If it failed, however, he risked losing his best friend. He decided it was worth it, however, because he knew it could only help Cloud through whatever he was going through.

“There are a few grunts that fit your description though. I mean, Cloud here is quite the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty!” Zack clapped his best friend on the head, just hard enough to knock his only protection from his head.

The helmet clattered on the ground, blonde, spiky hair spilling out of it.

_“Cloud?!”_


End file.
